newby to TIG welding needs help

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Hi,I have just purchased a Tig welder and am struggling to get to grips with it, I have been MIG welding for years and lately have been doing alot of car body  prep and roll cage instalation, and having seen the results  from TIG welders and was hoping to move forward with this.any advice on settings, torch set up, ect ect ect grately appreciated.Mark
Reply:Hard to give you an answer. You didnt list any specs on the material your welding? Joint design?What tig machine are you using?JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeHard to give you an answer. You didnt list any specs on the material your welding? Joint design?What tig machine are you using?
Reply:As said posting up as much info as possible will help get you the feedback you are looking for. That and picts of your welds so we can critique them.As far as starting out from zero. Set up your machine the way the manual tells you for DC tig. Get yourself some 1/8" thick 3" or so wide flat bar, say 6" long, and grind/sand off all the mill scale. You'll probably want a dozen or so minimum. Set the machine at 150 amps or so and get comfortable. 1st few runs should be done with no filler. All you are doing is practicing getting the arc started and learning to control the arc with the pedal. Extend the tungsten out from the cup about 3/8" to 1/2" so you can see the arc well. You want to keep the tip of the tungsten about 1/8"-3/16" from the plate. If you are right handed you start on the right and move left. Reverse if you are a lefty. You want to run some puddles and watch what happens as you push down on the pedal and let up. See how much heat it takes to melt holes. Speed up and slow down your travel. See just how small you can maintain a puddle... If you touch the tungsten to the puddle, stop and regrind. Also after you run 2 or 3 beads, set that plate asside to cool and get another, or cool the plate in water. If you don't the heat will build up and act like you upped the amps.Once you have the hang of this, grab some filler and try running plain beads on pate. Remember you melt the filler with the puddle, NOT the arc. Thats a common beginner error. When you can run good beads time after time, try laying one 1/2 way over the 1st between the plate and the bead. You are learning the basics for a filet bead now.After this, go on to lap joints, T joints, outside corners and then but joints in that order flat on the table. Then same sequence starting with beads on flat plate and progressing thru the joints again for horizontal, vertical and eventually overhead.Expect this will take quite some time. Most students at the tech school can get thru flat and part of horizontal in the 48 hr term with guidence. Without direct feedback from someone watching you, expect to take longer.If you haven't already, go to Millers site and order their student packet. It's got a ton of info to get you startered on tig and is like $25 IIRC. It's also got good info on stick and mig as well. That should get you started..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:The machine I ma trying is only a baby PARA WELD XTI 200 AC/DC PI have managed to get a run with it, welding 2mm wall thickness CDS roll cage tube, bigest problem the tip keeps burning up and turning into a blob.I am using the torch that came with the machine with a built in trigger not got a foot pedal (yet). I am using ARGONSHIELD gas as the PURE ARGON bottle not arrived yet, obviously I havent tried alumium yet.
Reply:If the tungston is turning into a "blob"..You have 3 issues going on here...A...You are trying to weld steel on A.C.OR..B... You are dipping into your puddle or hitting the tungton with your filler.OR..C...No shielding gas.It's one or the other take your pick....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:You MUST have pure argon. Mixed gas will not work as you've found out. Take a look at this thread.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=43982Start with flat plate, not tube. Tube is much more difficult to do. You will need to keep adjusting the torch angle as you go. Add that to all the other new things you need to do and you'll have better luck learning to juggle chainsaws while riding a unicycle on the high wire standing on your head. Take this in small sections. Don't expect to grab the tig torcha nd be welding up roll cages by next weekend. Most of the students in the night class take 90-120 hours minimum to get thru simple plate joints in all positions IF they are dedicated. Then they have to start all over on basic tube joints. Thats with an instructor helping them learn and pointing out errors as they go. It wouldn't surprise me if it took you up to 6 months if not more of dedicated practice to get good enough to do tube. If you want to do this as quickly as possible, you will need to take a class of some sort. When you think about what you get in most classes, the cost is stupid cheap..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:DSW, That is the information I needed.... have owned my Heliarc for 40 years but am just now getting it really put together again and need that basic practice methodology to start. Thanks.Weldandpower Lincoln 225 AC,DC with Briggs 16hp gas engine.WW2 era Miller TIG.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapster.....It's one or the other take your pick....zap!
Reply:Mark... If not a regular school program, i found the Ron Covell DVD's from miller to be very helpful.  http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ex.html#videos... for another $25 you can get the educational bookpack  TIG/MIG/Stick/Theory... The TIG book there is pretty good... (Miller does offer the book free online, one chapter at a time, but its much easier for some of us to look at it in paper form.  Heck, park it in the porcelin throne / reading room for when ever you get a minute.) From the look of your machine's user manual, that's a very nice machine.... but it does have a LOT of settings.  Spend some time surfing http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com     I think Jody's video description of 2T / 4T is really a great way to understand an obtuse concept.  He has some very good stuff there.I'm assuming you are in the UK?  Add your location to your profile.. sometimes folks offer a face to face helping hand when appropriate.  Good luck. --zip
Reply:Originally Posted by GBMI don't know... I think I have known some  people who could do all three at the same time.... they were very dangerous to be around in other mediums also.... LOL
Reply:Dont make the mistake I did ! I've spent the last 21/2 semesters at our local occupational center tiggin steel ! JUST COULDNT GET CONSISTANT ! Be good 1 week , bad the next.OK not that bad , but just wasnt happy with results , felt I should have been better.Summer break now , was lucky to score on my own Synchro 250 (luv Craigs list !)  ,and came across some aluminum , played with it a couple times( had only 1 sitting in class with aluminum before class ended.) , then started building a rack outta 6063, 1.5" square tubing, 1/8" thick.Wow ! learning accelerated 10 fold !  You know , one of the volunteer instructors advised me to switch over to aluminum quite a while ago, but didn't tell me why ! I didn't , felt I wanted to save that , get good at steel 1st ! Its simple , let me save YOU some time ! Everything with aluminum goes MUCH faster , puddle , filler rod , welders actions , etc.! Your forced to learn to move that torch more/faster , to feed that filler rod faster , everything needs to be more consistant , and faster.I have SOOO much more control now ! It was just better practicing on aluminum.I've gone back to a couple coupons of steel , much better ! This is only my opinion , another newbie , may just be me , but I'd advise you to do what the guys here advise , with steel , and as soon as you can run beads , flat , fillet , corner etc. , jump over to aluminum for practice , even if you plan on never getting into aluminum , it'll make you a better steel tigger !
Reply:Teespan,This guy started out by using the wrong shielding gas.